Easter Gift from iTunes and Zondervan

The good folks at Zondervan have made The Easter Story available on iTunes this week for free! This is the Easter Story read from the pages of Scripture by a number of different actors, pastors, musicians, etc. I purchased the entire Bible Experience for my iPod in November. This is a great product. I use it all of the time when I am exercising.

To find the free Easter Story on iTunes, go to the front page of the iTunes store, and then scroll down to the Free on iTunes section. The Easter Story will remain free on iTunes until Monday, April 9th. Enjoy! And, when you listen, praise God again for His incredible gift to us.

Congratulations Phil and Naomi!

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of officiating the marriage ceremony for Phil and Naomi Horn. Their wedding was beautiful. They were married at the Como Conservatory in St. Paul, and the setting couldn't have been more fantastic. Picture walking down the aisle with thousands of flowers surrounding you. Pretty amazing, huh? Here is a picture of the happy couple!

Joel Hanson at The Gathering on Easter Sunday

Joel Hanson will be leading worship with David Olson and Elizabeth Honeycutt at The Gathering this Sunday night at 5:15 and 7:00 PM. Joel used to be the lead singer in the group PFR, one of my all time favorite Christian groups. Don't miss it! It's going to be a special night. We get to celebrate the resurrection of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and enjoy some incredible music and an awesome message!

Are We Done Yet?

I saw the movie, Are We Done Yet, with the Shortreed twins today. (Chris and Tim are two cool brothers). And, even though the Star Tribune only gave this movie one star, I thought it was really fun. Two thumbs up.

I'm telling you, I think Ice Cube and I could be twins. He needs me to be his new rap partner on his next CD.

Jamal Hashi and Chicken Fantastik on KARE 11

Many of you who hang with me on a regular basis have had the privilege of dining at Safari Restaurant or Safari Express in Minneapolis. Safari is owned by my good friend Jamal Hashi. My favorite dish that he cooks is called Chicken Fantastik. Jamal was on KARE 11, the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis cooking this dish for Showcase Minnesota. Here is the link to that television appearance and the recipe for Chicken Fantastik! Bon appetit!

Recipe: http://www.showcaseminnesota.com/recipes/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=4389

TV appearance: http://www.showcaseminnesota.com/video/player_recipes.aspx?fname=/recipes/040207_4389_safari_kare.wmv

'Twas The Sunday Before Easter

Leith Anderson preached a message at Wooddale this week called, "'Twas the Sunday Before Easter." It was my privilege to write an article for the Wooddale Week about the theme of the message. I wrote two articles. One was a poem, and the other was an inspirational thought. At the time I wrote the poem, I was unaware that there would be an amazing drama this week, using a poem with the same name. So, this didn't appear in the Wooddale Week, but I thought I'd share it with you.

'Twas The Sunday Before Easter

‘Twas the Sunday before Easter
And all through my life
Was anxiety, hopelessness
And a great deal of strife

When what to my wandering soul should appear
But the hope of our Savior,
Who loved the one in my mirror

A perfect life lived
He was celebrated
As He rode down the street
Knowing death He would meet

Celebration one day and rejection the next
The King given over, His followers perplexed

Anxiety? Yes. And, hope? It was lost
Because they knew not, just what was the cost
Of so great a salvation, that is the foundation
Hope lost on Friday, and found on that Sunday

So, where are you on this Palm Sunday?
Living on Friday or Easter Morning?
Remember, He conquered death and the grave
For you and for me, our lives to save

Another Book

I received word from Zondervan yesterday that they will be publishing my third book, When I. . . in January of 2009. What's the Deal With. . . comes out on December 7th of this year. The cover art for that book accompanies this post.

CT article on Passion

If you haven't picked up the current issue of Christianity Today and read the article on The Passion movement, you need to do so. They call Passion the most influential movement amongst young evangelicals. I would have to agree. Passion has decided to suspend all Passion conferences in the United States. They will be taking a world tour sometime in the next year. Louie Giglio's reasoning for this is right on. Read the article. It's worth your time. It's interesting to read what the article has to say about John Piper and Beth Moore's relationship to the Passion movement. It's also interesting to read about the passion that twentysomethings in the southern part of the United States have for God. The vast majority of twentysomethings that go to Passion are from the south. The article talked about the need to reach twentysomethings in the north. I'm not sure that is an entirely fair statement. Going to the Passion conference is not what makes you passionate about God. In a very real way, we are seeing a revival amongst twentysomethings in the Twin Cities. Here at Wooddale Church, Chad Erlenborn, our young adults pastor, has found that 20% of people in our twentysomething community have come to faith in the past six months. That's pretty cool!

Foreverandever, Etc.

The David Crowder Band is one of my all time favorite groups. And, now they have a new video for one of my all time favorite songs. Here is the David Crowder Band's foreverandever, etc. video. You've got to love Youtube.

Bookstores and Future Grace

I love bookstores. There is just something about standing in racks upon racks of books that motivates me. Each book on a shelf has a story behind it. There is the author's life experiences and education. There is the publisher's willingness to take a risk. There is the marketing team's creativity in artwork and advertising.

It amazes me how the same book can bring about such different responses in readers.

I spent some time in a used book store yesterday with my three boys. While there, I went to the religion section. I was perusing the shelves when I came upon a book by John Piper that I was previously unfamiliar with. It's called Future Grace and it was published by Multnomah in 1995. I just looked on Amazon, and it was republished in 2005, with a new cover.

I haven't read the book yet. I bought it, because on pages 9-10 you'll find this paragraph:

On the other side of the coin, the aim of this book is to emancipate human hearts from servitude to the fleeting pleasures of sin. Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it holds some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Which means that the power of sin's promise is broken by the power of God's. All that God promises to be for us in Jesus stands over against what sin promises to be for us without him. This great prospect of the glory of God is what I call future grace. Being satisfied with that is what I call faith. And therefore the life I write about in this book is called Living by Faith in Future Grace.

That's pretty profound. I was just having lunch with a student on Monday, talking about why so many of his friends choose sin. I wish I read this quote about sin earlier.

If you've read this book, I'd love to hear what it meant to you. I'm looking forward to taking the journey.

Prayer for Olsen Family

I received word on Monday that Daniel Olsen, a former student of mine at Wooddale Church, was killed by sniper fire in Iraq on Sunday.

Please be in prayer for the family of Daniel Olsen. Daniel's sister Shaina is a senior at Eagan High School, and an active part of our ministry. Please pray for Daniel's parents Wayne and Gwen, and his older sister Shelcy. You can read the Minneapolis Star Tribune account of Dan's death here: http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1096811.html.

Dan is the guy on the right of this picture.

One of the things that you won't read about Dan in the Star Tribune story is of his love for children. Dan volunteered in our children's ministry in his time in high school. The kids that he worked with loved him. When he left to go into the Marines, his class of first graders presented him with a Marines Bible and prayed for him. They laid hands on him as you would for a missionary, prayed that God would protect Dan. Please be in prayer for these children too.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Blog Silence

It's been several months since I posted an entry on Pass the Salt. I'm making a commitment to get back in the habit starting today. So, get ready. . .

California!

Breanna and I had a blast yesterday in Hollywood and Anaheim. It was so fun watching Breanna's face as she experienced California. Here's a quick picutre of Breanna by Frank Sinatra and Julie Andrews' hand and shoe prints in front of Grumman's Chinese Theater.

You Go, Heather!

I am convinced that I work with the best Junior High Pastor in America. Heather Flies has been at Wooddale Church for 10 years now, and among the students that she loves is my daughter. Heather has been making a huge impact on youth ministry nationwide for several years now. She serves on Youth Specialties national CORE training team, was a featured speaker at DCLA 2006, and is so well respected. Youth Specialties has a monthly podcast that they make available for free to anyone who wants to grow. On the podcast they interview some of the most influential voices in youth ministry. This month's interview features Heather talking about the unique calling of the middle school pastor. You can check it out here.

Heather is also the author of an extraordiary new book on talking to your teenage daughter. I'd highly recommend it. You can order it here or pick up a copy in the Wooddale Church Bookstore.

King of the Hill and The Mega Church

I'm at a conference this week, and this video from King of the Hill was shown today. It's a pretty insightful look at how the world looks at mega churches.

Spiritual Moments

It was a profoundly spiritual moment when I saw this picture. 33 years ago there was a swingset in this yard. It was on Easter Sunday after listening to my Sunday School teacher share the story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that I was challenged so deeply in my life. I went home, considered what my Sunday School teacher had said, and prayed in this yard to ask Jesus to become my Savior and Lord. My life has never been the same.

This home is for sale now. I lived there from the time I was 2-7 and my brother Mark recently came across the MLS listing for the home. He e-mailed the photos from the MLS listing to every one of my siblings. I love what God did in that house in my life. He gave me parents who loved Him, brought me to church, and exposed me to the Gospel. Thanks Mom and Dad, and thank you God!

I had another cool spiritual moment recently. Erik and Joel Bakke came into my office and asked me if I had any books by Arthur Pink. Erik and Joel are in high school and Arthur Pink was born in 1886. I was blown away that they would want to read a book by Pink. I had Pink's commentary on Genesis in my library. It's called Gleanings in Genesis. When I pulled it off of the shelf, I thumbed through the book. A business card fell out. It said, Ray Schulenburg, on the front. Ray was my Grandpa. He died several years ago. There was a note from Grandpa on the card to me. It said, "Brian . . . some Bible teachers consider this the best exposition there is on Genesis. Study it. Grandpa" I'd never seen that note before. Kind of wierd to get a note from your Grandpa years after he's died. I let the guys borrow my book, but you can be sure that Gleanings In Genesis is at the top of my reading list.

Thanks God, for my spritual heritage that I take for granted way too much. You have blessed me beyond measure.

Breanna's Surprise

At 6:30 this morning, my 14-year-old daughter began to open her birthday presents. I know, it's early, but I've been invovled in a conference all week long and don't get back home until 6:00 PM, and I wanted Breanna to be able to enjoy her gifts all day long. OK, maybe it is less about Breanna and more about me. I really let Breanna open her gift early because I couldn't wait.

For the past month I've had to keep a secret from my daughter. I'm terrible at keeping secrets when I have really good news to share. This weekend I'm speaking at The National Youth Workers Convention in Anaheim, California. I told Cyndi last month that I had throught of the perfect birthday gift for Breanna. I'd cash in some of my frequent flyer miles and bring Breanna with me. Cyndi agreed, and today, while opening her gifts Breanna unwrapped some pictures of California. She immediately said, "I'm going to California?" Then she saw the airplane ticket and said, "I'm going to California on Saturday?" She couldn't wait to get on the bus and tell her friends.

This weekend Breanna and I will fly together for our first ever father/daughter trip. She's decided that she wants to visit Hollywood and Beverly Hills. A girl after her Dad's own heart. We can't wait to experience this together. She's also excited about going to the National Youth Workers Convention with me and hearing the David Crowder Band and Jars of Clay in person. Saturday can't get here fast enough.

Birthday Week

It's birthday week at the Schulenburg home. 14 years ago today, Cyndi and I were at a homecoming football game at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. We were expecting our first child any day. That night, Cyndi began to go into labor, and on November 1st, our beautiful Breanna was born. Our lives have never been the same! The moment I saw Breanna, I was instantly in love. She is so precious. 14 years later, I consider myself the most blessed dad in the world. How did I get so lucky? Breanna, I love you. God, thanks for the gift of my girl, Breanna.

It was 12 years ago today that Cyndi went to the doctor and was told to go straight to the hospital. She was ready to have baby number two. Cyndi disobeyed doctors orders, wnet home, got her bag, called me and said, "Let's go have a baby." Then Christopher was born. Instant love again. I had a boy! It was hard not to project my feelings of baseball and basketball superstardom on to him from the time he was a baby. Now, hundreds of video games and baseball games later, I have to admit that God has really, really blessed me. Chris, I love you. God, thanks for the gift of my son, Chris.

Eight years ago, Cyndi was starting to feel labor pains. She said, "There is no way I'm having baby number three on either of his siblings birthdays." So, somehow, Cyndi delayed labor for two days, and on November 2nd, Jeremy was born. We had lost a child in between Chris and Jeremy, and so when he was born we named him, Jeremy, which means, Appointed by Jehovah. We knew that God has something special planned for Jeremy, because had his brother been born, Jeremy wouldn't have been here. Jeremy was born, and instant love once again swelled from my bones. I love that boy. I love his smile that lights up any room he walks into. I love his contagious belly laugh. I love his passion for life. Jeremy, I love you. God, thanks for the gift of my son, Jeremy.

I could have never imagined how much my life would change in the past 14 years because of these gifts that God has brought my way. Zachary, our youngest is five. His birthday is in May. For the past few years he's wondered why he doesn't get gifts this week like the rest of his siblings. This week, he's been finding gifts from his room for his brothers and sister. He's learning that it's better to give than to receive. One of these days, I'm going to have to give my children away. Psalm 127:4-5 says, "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." God, you've given me an incredible gift in my four children, but they are not mine to keep. Lord, use Breanna, Chris, Jeremy and Zach for your glory and honor. Let them be a light in their generation. Keep them close to you. Help Cyndi and me to be godly role models and to trust them to your tender care. As we give them birthday gifts this year, let our greatest gift be a passion for you that we share together.

I Love Youth Workers!

I just returned from a couple of days in Austin, Texas at The National Youth Workers Convention. What an awesome time with 3000 of my fellow youth workers. While there, many youth workers shared their hearts with me.

Some were down. They were tired of being misunderstood by other adults who look at them suspiciously because they have chosen to dedicate their lives to a generation that desperately needs love and affirmation, and most importantly, Christ. While speaking on the MySpace phenomenon, many youth workers shared with me how difficult it is for them to even bridge a gap with students because parents are suspicious of this strange breed of human being that would choose to spend time with teenagers. They were tired of reading articles like the one that appeared in the The New York Times on Friday, declaring youth ministry as ineffective and proclaiming that the church in America is losing the next generation. Most of the youth workers that I talked to took offense at the article. They were vocal when the The Austin American Statesman newspaper interviewed them about the present state of youth ministry.

Some were tired. Youth minstry is hard. It is a calling that is demands long hours consisting of morning, night and weekend hours. It pays very little in most churches and junior and senior high students are not very quick to affirm you in that calling. I spoke to many youth ministry couples that were on the verge of quitting. They were ready to chuck it all for more lucrative careers and less headaches. By the end of the conversations, these same youth workers came to the conclusion that as much as they sometimes dream about doing something else, they are called to serve students, and they know nothing else is as important.

Some were ecstatic. They were being ministered to. They were singing songs with David Crowder, not just David Crowder songs performed by their youth band. They were rubbing elbows with Doug Fields, not just reading his books. It was so much fun to watch some of the leading youth workers in America taking time to listen, talk, and minister to their fellow youth workers. It was a great weekend.

The Austin version of the National Youth Workers Convention ends tomorrow. Join me in praying for these 3000 youth workers as they head back to their respective ministries. Join me in praying for teenagers. Pray that God will continue to do His new thing in this generation. Pray that churches will have the courage to invest in youth ministry, no matter the cost to tradition. Pray for the 10-15,000 other youth workers that will be going to National Youth Worker's Conventions in Cincinnati, Charlotte and Anaheim this year.

When I was in college a pastor once said, "Satan possesses a double-edged sword. On one end is doubt, on the other is discouragement." It makes me shudder to think of great youth workers on the brink of leaving ministries over their own doubt and discouragment about ministry. This is clergy appreciation month. Why not show your youth worker how much you appreciate him or her this month? It may be just the encouragement he or she needs to make it through another year.

One more thing: Mark Oestreicher, the president of Youth Specialties has a blog. It's a great one. He regularly posts entries on the changing face of ministry to students. He has some great thoughts about the future of youth ministry here too. Check it out.

God bless.

MySpace and Going Deep in Austin, TX

I'm headed off to Austin, Texas on Friday morning to speak at The National Youth Workers Convention. I'll be speaking in two sessions. The first session is entitled, How MySpace, Facebook, Xanga and iPods Are Changing All The Rules In High School Ministry. The second session is entitled, Going Deep: How To Get High School Students Talking About Spiritual Things.

Both of these sessions will be heavy on practical ways that youth workers can engage in the lives of their students. Please pray that God would use these sessions to make a positive impact on ministries all over the world.

You can find out more about The National Youth Workers Convention at Youth Specialties.